Salonen's Cello Concerto
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| Yo-Yo Ma and Esa-Pekka Salonen clasp upraised hands in triumph following the world premiere of Salonen's Cello Concerto in 2018. This performance is captured on a newly released classical CD. |
Earlier this century, Salonen ended his conductorship to devote himself more to composition (he recently returned as conductor of the San Francisco Symphony). The results are generally superb. His Violin Concerto (2009) is outstanding, as are many of his briefer orchestral pieces. His Piano Concerto (2007) left me unimpressed, however. Now he has found his groove again with a wonderful world premiere recording of his Cello Concerto (2017), composed for Yo-Yo Ma.
It is odd how long it takes new classical music to become available for download and on CD. Composed about two years ago, this world premiere recording was made early last year. Yet, it took the recording over a year to make it to market. I guess there are all sorts of issues related to classical recordings that do not apply to the same degree to artists and bands of other musical genres.
At any rate it was worth the wait. This is a truly magnificent work that stands equal to the best of Salonen’s other compositions. I got the CD from amazon as soon as it became available and have enjoyed listening to it many times recently, about once each day since receiving it. As with so many other things, I enjoy becoming obsessed with a new piece of art that grips me. It is part of my entertainment to delve as deeply as my amateurish skills will allow with any new classical recording.
The concerto begins with urgent layers and textures of the whole orchestra playing together, blended with no particular instrument section dominating until the cello comes in. It dances through the contemplative yet disquieting atmospheric space of the orchestra, beckoning all other instruments to follow. The orchestra serves as the foundation and tone for the cello's mostly traditional and accessible explorations. The pace quickens 2/3 of the way through this 13-minute first movement and yields to a powerful, almost sprawling conclusion with horns and bells and strings fading away, melding with the cello.
The second movement starts with a greater sense of radiance and energetic brightness. Swelling horns and percussion give way to a slow and pensive cello punctuated by silences until the string section rises ever so faintly to support the lower register of the cello. At one point a flute joins the cello in a duet, dominating the rest of the orchestra. At times the cello sounds as if it is a choir, at times it is lyrical and playful, and then there are the more abstract sounds Salonen composed for Yo-Yo Ma to perform. Sonic whispers and screams emerge from Ma's cello that are simultaneously mysterious, ethereal and mesmerizing. The effect is impossible to describe, you have to listen for yourself, particularly at the conclusion of the movement. These strange sounds suddenly become beautiful when the entire orchestra powerfully joins in at the end of this movement.
It strikes me that there is more direction and purpose in the final movement compared with the other two parts of the concerto. The cello takes charge and forges ahead without regard to the orchestra. Bongos and other percussion are introduced here as equals with the cello which makes for a very playful back and forth. The full orchestra shifts alternately into a salsa beat then into minimalist plucking then to drums in support of a heavier overall rhythmic drive. This is easily the most energetic part of the concerto. Swirling determination keeps the cello moving deftly, as the pace and intensity increases like riding a galloping horse. With each variation we come back to the cello solo with Ma's perform just ripping it. The orchestra rejoins to provide a mental space of the cello's high-pitched and cascading finale.
In his liner notes, Salonen states that this hearty and satisfying 35-minute concerto was mostly conceived in the summer of 2015. It is based upon a work for solo cello he composed in 2010. He explains that, for him, a virtuoso performer can be dexterous and energized, but the player can also be quiet and minimalistic. Salonen wrote this concerto specifically for Yo-Yo Ma, with an appreciation for the cellist’s masterful technique with the composer pushing the sonic limits of the instrument, especially in the ethereal parts of the second movement.
But, Salonen continues, the concerto is also inspired by comets. The cello is the comet and the orchestra establishes the space and other moving objects through which the comet moves. With this cello: “I also happen to like the concept of a virtuoso operating at the very limits of what is physically (and sometimes mentally) possible. In Nietzsche’s words: ‘You have made danger your vocation; there is nothing contemptible in that.’ (No program note feels complete without a quotation from Thus Spake Zarathustra.)” I couldn’t agree with his liner notes more, on a variety of levels. Making a comic remark based upon Nietzsche is always a winner with me.
On every account this is truly a sophisticated, accessible and accomplished concerto in the classical traditional, richly textured and with plenty of “pow." I am so grateful to be living in a time when such remarkable new music is being created. Salonen is not as prolific as other composers but his quality is noteworthy. He is a great force in classical music today. With many years for composition still ahead of him, I am excited about the possibility for new works, new sonic horizons as fresh and inspiring as this newborn Cello Concerto.
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